In pursuit of higher engine efficiencies, higher turbine inlet temperatures have been relied upon to boost overall engine performance. This can result in gas path temperatures that may exceed melting points of traditional turbine component materials. To address this issue, components such as rotating blades and stator vanes, for example, are made from materials that can withstand higher operating temperatures, such as high temperature alloys.
When using traditional materials for the airfoils, such as a nickel alloy material for example, additional heat transfer treatments are needed to generate a desired amount of heat transfer. In one known example, internal cooling passages are formed within the airfoils. To further augment this internal cooling, the internal cooling passages in some nickel alloy airfoils have been configured to include heat transfer treatments such as trip strips formed on passage walls, for example. As high temperature alloys can withstand higher metal temperatures, components made from these materials do not require the same amount of cooling. However, some additional heat transfer treatments are still needed to provide the desired cooling effect. As the stress capability of the high temperature alloys is significantly less than traditional materials, incorporating the additional heat transfer features has proven to be challenging.